Winning tip: Bumble and Bee, Exmouth
What a wonderful little discovery. With a fantastic location in the pretty Manor Gardens, and just off the beach, it’s a little trendy gem of naughtiness. Creme egg brownies, stacks and stacks of homemade fluffy pancakes, arty sketches on the walls and great fresh proper coffee. The best thing of all though (aside from the cute surfer-looking staff) are the incredible homemade scones. Award-winning scones in fact ... they’re blinking perfect, exactly the right amount of crumble, flavour and Devonshire clotted cream. Let the kids break free in the gardens and get stuck in. We had a wonderful afternoon there, a little cherished family moment, proper lush!
• bumbleandbee.co.uk
sachapaisley
The Old Stables Tea Rooms, Hay-on-Wye
This cafe on Bear Street is a welcome haven for the weary bookshop lover. If it’s sunny you can sit outside; if not, you can enjoy the great range of teas and homemade cakes in the cosy traditional tea room with a big fireplace. From traditional Welsh bara brith to delicious Danish pastries and 37 types of tea, there’s plenty of choice. And, if you enjoy its award-winning jams and marmalades, you can buy some to take home.
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The Sunshine Bakery, Leeds
This is a vintage, boutique cafe in Chapel Allerton headed by David Bennett, former chef for Marco Pierre-White. Among the award-winning cupcakes and tasty handmade cakes and treats, this small cafe offers lunch to eat in or takeaway. Served on dainty porcelain plates, the food is simple but delicious with a combination of flavours and colours. The cafe also has a supper club on Thursday-Saturday nights with three starters and three mains on the menu: £20 for three courses and a bring-your-own bottle policy. The Sunshine also offers cupcake-decorating classes.
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ablaylock
Aunt Martha’s, Drybrook, Gloucestershire
Sticking out like a sore thumb, this tearoom is in a pink house in an unassuming area of the Forest of Dean. You can’t fail to notice the year is 1897 as you step through the door, and if it hasn’t dawned on you by then it certainly will when you meet Aunt Martha herself – dressed up to the nines in Victoriana. Although stoic in character, Aunt Martha is witty and knowledgeable, providing a good show along with her staff (they too are in full Victorian costume). Much of the food on the menu is homemade and sourced locally, including “downstairs”, its version of piccalilli. The food is delicious and classic, with quirky titles such as Saxe-Coburg Roll, Prince of Wales Repast and Her Ladyship’s High Tea. Food and drink are presented on/in fine bone china, napkins are cotton, there is even a doily over the milk jug ... and if you are sitting at the end of the table you’ll have the duty of being “mother” and pouring the tea for everyone in your party – very 1897!
• auntmartha.co.uk
angdale
Dolly’s Tea Shoppe, Hinckley
We recently booked this place for my dad’s 90th birthday and were really pleased with the service and food. The inside is vintage style and you really do feel as if you are stepping back in time to an age where the pace of life was somewhat slower. We were supplied with ample delicately cut sandwiches with a variety of fillings such as salmon, beef and dijon mustard, and ham. These were followed by slices of homemade cakes and scones as well as fresh fruits, all with plenty of tea or coffee. Children’s afternoon teas are also offered.
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Balcombe Tea Rooms, West Sussex
This quintessentially English tearoom is tucked inconspicuously into a row of Victorian/Georgian houses in the small village of Balcombe, high up in the Weald. On a sunny day one can sit outside at the lovely wooden tables and watch village life go by. It is popular with the locals, and walkers and cyclists from miles around are drawn by the proper home-cooked food in manly portions: delectable pie, melt-in-the mouth lasagne, traditional roasts … Then of course, there are the cakes of many varieties, wedges of pure hedonism, big enough to prop a barn door open with.
• thebreakfastmenu.com
Twig Fairweather
The Farm Cafe, Marlesford, Suffolk
A couple of times a month we load the cars with kids and dogs and set off for the Suffolk coast. We discovered the Farm Cafe at Marlesford by accident but now wouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit. Afternoon tea consists of a good hot pot of tea and enormous scones, which are freshly baked in the kitchen throughout the day and served with delicious local cream and locally made jams. The service from James and his team is always friendly and our two dogs are made very welcome with a dish of fresh water and dog biscuits.
• farmcafe.co.uk
Alfreddie
Glenarm Castle tearoom
A delightful and secluded haven, Glenarm Castle Walled Garden and Tearoom in Northern Ireland combines Irish rustic charm with English country garden. Afternoon tea (£10.95) includes sandwiches, scones, cakes, and mini flowerpots with sugar mushrooms atop edible chocolate compost (which could be imagined with a tag saying “eat me”). Each tier is finished with delicate attention to detail, creating a visual and sensory experience. The walled gardens are directly behind the tearoom, so many come from around the world to step away from reality for a whole afternoon, then follow it with a friendly chat over a good sandwich and pot of tea for two.
• glenarmcastle.com
Hannah Millar
The Ash Tea Rooms, Stockport
This is a lot more than just a tearoom serving scrumptious food (afternoon tea at from £13.50 which is good value for what it includes – sandwiches, scones and cakes made on the premises), it’s a chocolate shop and a wonderful bakery, too. The millefeuilles are scrumptious – light, creamy, with strawberries or other seasonal fruit. I was treated to a memorable birthday tea last year, and would rush back!
• the-ash.co.uk
malagnou
Steyning Tea Rooms, West Sussex
Descend the South Downs into Steyning and stick your head round the door of Steyning Tea Rooms. Be careful the doorknob doesn’t come off in your hand as you enter this charmingly shabby little corner cafe with friendly service and mismatched crockery. My favourite thing is the duvet of Sussex cheese smothering a thick slice of proper local bread, served with green stuff, lightly dressed with just enough acidity to help cut through the cheese and send back a clean plate. I usually follow this with apple cake and ice-cream, but this varies depending on the fruit in season. Rhubarb has just come back on the menu. My wife likes the savoury scones and sponge cakes, all homemade. Apparently it was recently Sussex Cafe of the Year - but who cares what the press say.
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Carlo Gilmour
Peggotty’s Parlour, Rochester
Rochester High Street in Kent is a historical wonderland with its cobbled streets, castle and cathedral. Opposite this, a tiny staircase, easily missed, leads to Peggotty’s Parlour: a small but perfectly formed old-fashioned tearoom. A sumptuous selection of fabulous cakes is complemented by favourites such as welsh rarebit served by cheerful waitresses.
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